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UK: ISIS will not be defeated until Iraq and Syria have inclusive governments

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The ISIS (ISIL) “will not be overcome until Iraq and Syria have inclusive governments capable of marginalising its appeal and of mounting a sustained and effective response on the ground to the military and ideological threat it poses,” British Foreign Secretary said on Thursday.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said he had talks with Iraqi Prime Minister al-Abadi and other Iraqi officials on “a more inclusive approach; to de-centralisation of power to Iraq’s communities; and equitable sharing of Iraq’s natural resource wealth.”

“It is vital now that all parties [in Iraq], having looked at the alternatives, now put the past behind them and have the courage to build bridges to each other, in particular to appeal to the Sunni populations, who are living under, and in some cases, acquiescing in, ISIL’s brutal reign, and who must be brought back into the political fold if ISIL is to be defeated in Iraq,” he told the British Parliament on Thursday.

Speaking about Syria he said: “While the international coalition has been trying to save Kobane, Assad has been continuing his attacks and aerial bombardments on the moderates, including around Aleppo and Damascus. Those close to Assad should be in no doubt that he must be removed to clear the way for a government in Damascus that enjoys legitimacy in the eyes of the Syrian people, credibility with the international community and that can take effective action against extremism. For as long as he remains in power, there will be no peace in Syria.”

“We need to reaffirm clearly, lest there be any doubt, that Assad cannot be part of the solution to the challenge: the depravity of his regime was, after all, a driving factor in creating ISIL.”

He said: “The UK government expects to make a significant contribution to the US-led programme to train the Syrian moderate armed opposition, who are fighting both Assad’s tyranny and ISIL’s extremism.